Real x Head is a small Japanese vinyl company started and run by Mori Katsura in 2003. Mori’s first figure was the Oni-Head, but he saw much more success with his second figure, the Mutant Head, the start of the iconic Mutant Zone series. The Mutant Head sculpt was borne out of Mori’s love of classic 80’s toys, especially Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Taken from the Super 7 Mook, the Mutants are an invisible race that lives in the forests and mountains in natural harmony, existing outside the realm of human perception. Led by the militaristic Akro-Kaiser, the Mutants dislike humanity because of the damage we do to their natural habitats, and so the Mutants cause accidents and natural disasters to punish us. During an engagement, Mutant Head is injured and loses his ability to stay invisible. Mutant Head is found by a young boy and nursed back to health, showing Head that not all humans are evil. When Mutant Head returns to confront Akro-Kaiser about their aggression towards humanity, a schism erupts within the Mutant world over how to deal with humans, leading to what amounts to a civil war among the Mutants, with the human-defending Mutants being lead by Mutant Head.

The Mutant Zone 3 sculpts debuted in 2009 and feature significantly more detailed sculpts. The story of the Mutants has taken a major turn. In a massive battle, some of the main characters have been merged together through the ferocity of their fight.

Evil Bat is the fusion of Mutant Evil and Orghan Bat. It features major tropes from both characters, with the addition of more detail and a vicious arm weapon.

Absorbing Orghan Bat’s twisting form seems to have made Mutant Evil much stronger and more battle-ready. He features armored segments and heavy exposed musculature.

This is the debut release from SDCC09 on black vinyl. Just like the Kaiser-head, it features a metallic finish that I think was achieved by spraying clear blue over silver, with just a touch of detail work.

Evil-bat might be my favorite of the three MZ3 figures. They are all chunky and fun, but there’s something I really enjoy about the armored head and arm weapon. For having three points of articulation this guy really looks the part of an armored mutant ready for battle.